Category Archives: Civil Rights

The state prosecutor is suing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over what many suspect to be police misconduct and civil rights issues involving police officers (members of a fugitive task force) shooting 59 bullets into a schizophrenic college student. While the police claimed that they had a warrant to enter the victim’s residency… Read More »

In early December, the New York Police Department (NYPD) announced that it would soon be launching a fleet of 14 drones across the city to monitor people and “reach remote areas in crime scenes.” This has a number of civil rights advocates concerned because the policy governing the drones technically allows for their use… Read More »

In a huge step forward for immigrants accused of crimes and threatened with deportation, on November 27, New York State’s Court of Appeals ruled that immigrants are entitled to jury trials, regardless of the severity of the crime with which they are charged, because the potential penalty of deportation is so severe. This is… Read More »

On November 16, the Department of Education released a proposed rule to dramatically limit schools’ obligations to students who have experienced sexual violence. Although it preserves some important protections associated with the process, including the involvement of an impartial investigator, the opportunity to present rebuttal evidence, equal right to appeal for both parties, and… Read More »

After former Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memorandum reducing the ability of federal law enforcement officials to curb police abuse state-by-state, on November 15, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights called on the Justice Department to recommit to police oversight, including the use of binding consent decrees in order to promote constitutional policing… Read More »

On November 6, the midterm elections made a number of significant changes to Congress that will likely have long-lasting impacts on criminal justice, voting rights, and other important civil rights. Below, we’ve discussed some of the priority bills that the 116th Congress may tackle, and the prospective impacts on our civil liberties: Immigration A… Read More »

The Department of Education and Secretary Betsy DeVos have drawn a significant amount of civil rights concerns, especially when it comes to affirmative action policies, school segregation, and Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in all federally-funded education programs. Many feel that DeVos has effectively all but completely abandoned her civil… Read More »

The mass shooting at the Pittsburgh Synagogue that killed 11 people involves the overlap of criminal charges (criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and ethnic intimidation), hate crimes (obstruction the free exercise of religious beliefs), and civil rights issues. Armed with a number of assault rifles and handguns, the suspect allegedly opened fire inside the synagogue… Read More »

The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court had a number of civil rights activists concerned; based on the judge’s decision record. In addition to concerns over his individual record, there were also overall concerns that his addition to the court would also make the current Chief Justice—a traditionally conservative voter—the swing… Read More »

The Department of Justice’s announcement that they would be working against race-based college admissions in early September is the latest move in a series of decisions made by this administration to redefine the entire concept of civil rights. Under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the focus has shifted from protection of the everyday citizen and… Read More »

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Phillip J. Murphy, Attorney At Law is located in New City, New York and serves clients in and around New York, New Jersey & Connecticut. Contact our experienced criminal defense law firm.
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